Microsoft wants you to experience Windows Phone 7.5, because they know you will like it, once you try it. The company can’t afford to give everyone a Windows Phone, so it’s doing the next best thing – creating an online demo that’ll bring the Windows Phone experience to anyone with an iPhone or an Android handset.
You can pull up the demo from your phone’s mobile browser by visiting Microsoft’s website, http://aka.ms/wpdemo. The demo lets you swipe through Windows Phone and experience the mobile OS first hand. Microsoft populated the photos and contacts to make the demo feel as real as possible. There’s also a blue dot that’ll help you navigate the important parts of the demo. I gave it a test run and enjoyed using it for a few minutes. It does a reasonable job of mimicking the Mango interface and is as close as you can get to the real thing without going to a store and handling an actual phone.
Letting people play with the interface is a smart move by Microsoft. It gives people the chance to try out WP7.5 without buying a phone. Those, who normally wouldn’t be exposed to Windows Phone, may like what they see and decide to buy a new handset. And Microsoft needs to boost its handset sales. Recent US Nielsen figures reveal Android has a 42.8% market share, iOS has 28.3% and RIM has 17.8% . Microsoft is in fourth with 6.1%. Now that Nokia has unveiled its first Windows Phone handsets, it’s a good time for Microsoft to make a marketing push and grab a bigger piece of that market share pie.
[Via Windows Phone and SlashGear]